I love garlic. I once made a caesar salad and put 8 cloves of garlic in it. I then proceeded to eat the whole huge bowl of salad. I smelled of garlic for days. I wasn't sick for two years. Seriously, I kid you not.I've learned since then that 8 cloves of garlic in one sitting isn't good for anyone, so I usually stick to 2 and I'm good! This dish has a perfect amount of garlic, as well as other fresh goodies. The garlic from the pesto, as well as the fresh garlic, are wonderful. You can certainly use less if you don't like the taste, but it's not as strong as you may think.It makes a nice warm, creamy dinner. A true comfort food.On these first few snowy nights of winter, why don't you cozy up to a bowl of this deliciousness? Don't like shrimp? No problem, just add chicken or another kind of seafood.

Garlic Pesto Shrimpserves 61 lb fresh shrimp, cleaned1 vine ripe tomato, diced2 leeks, sliced whites and light greens2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 c vegetable broth1 c homemade pestosalt pepperolive oillemon, for garnishHeat some olive oil in your pan, add the leeks, garlic and tomato. Saute until tender and then add the broth. Remove from the pan and add your shrimp. Cook until just opaque and then flip. As soon as the shrimp are pink they are done. Remember they will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat, so don't overcook or they will become rubbery. Turn the heat off and add the tomatoe mixture back into the pan. Stir in the pesto until warmed through (feel free to turn the heat on low if you need to keep it warm). Serve over rice, noodles or eat plain!

Have you ever been intimidated to cook something? Some of you may have experienced a certain food that gives you heartache (artichokes, roasting a turkey on your first Thanksgiving, certain seafoods, etc). Some of you may be so afraid of cooking that you've never even used your stove. Trust me, those people exist.I have always been a little skeptical about lobster. Seriously, have you seen those things swimming at the grocery store? Who *wants* to cook those???

When I really think about it, those grocery store lobster kind of freak me out. I'd rather have my seafood at it's peak freshness, as in just caught and then I eat it. I think the reason I love seafood so much is because as a child my grandfather and I used to catch blue gills and fry them up an hour or two later for dinner. I grew up on the freshest seafood, so to me, there isn't much comparison. Sure, I'll buy fresh fish from my local grocer, but it's not as fresh as what I experienced tonight. It's not truly fresh until you have to kill it yourself. Ok, that was harsh. But true.And not as hard (or bad) as you think!I was lucky enough to have my first lobster cooking experience with the freshest Maine lobster, courtesy of the wonderful people at Lobster.com. They were even kind enough to throw in some dry scallops for us to try. When I say this was the *best* seafood I've ever had, I am not lying. The process was flawless. I placed my order, it was shipped overnight, and I cooked and ate it. Here's how it came:

Yes, those are live lobster. Two of them in fact, huge 1.5 lb lobsters.Along with the food came this handy dandy little "ditty bag" with instructions on how to cook all of the different seafood options that Lobster.com has to choose from. It was super handy...you know, since I had never cooked lobster before. Sure beats You Tube

We chose to steam our lobster, which literally took 9 minutes for each lobster. I placed them into a steaming pot with about 2 inches of salt water. When they turn bright pink, you pretty much know they are done.The scallops only take about 3-4 minutes, so I waited until the second lobster was almost done and then started those. I sauteed them up in a little butter and olive oil, when they get a carmelized coat on them, they are ready to flip. Cook for another minute or so, you really, really, really don't want to overcook scallops. There is nothing worse than rubbery scallops!I'd say I did pretty good!

I will admit, when it came to getting the meat out of the lobster, I did need a tutorial (courtesy of You Tube) on how to crack and clean them. It was easier than I thought, although I do recommend either the proper tools for cracking the claws, or a good pair of kitchen shears.You definitely need drawn butter to dip this deliciousness into. I used this recipe.When all was said and done, this was my dinner, and it was fabulous.

If you are looking for something amazing to serve this holiday season, or to ring in the new year, or if you are just looking for a new challenge, I cannot recommend lobster.com enough. The entire experience was wonderful, and the prices can't be beat. If I can do this, you can do this! What are some foods you're anxious to tackle??XoXo,Nicole

One of my biggest weaknesses is potatoes. I don't discriminate. I love them mashed, baked, roasted, or fried. Pretty much any way you can make a potato, I will devour it. In an effort to make my weakness a bit healthier, I added kale! When all else fails just add some kale, right?These potatoes are delish! Give 'em a shot....you won't be disappointed!

Kale Mashed Potatoesserves 61 lb. potatoes (red, Yukon or sweet), peeled and cubed3 T butter1/2 c almond milkfresh kale, a few leaves - stems removed and chopped1 clove garlic, minced1 small onion, mincedolive oilsalt & pepper to tastePeel your potatoes and place in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the potatoes to a boil. Let them sit at a rolling boil for about 15-20 min, or until tender.Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Add in your onion and garlic. When tender, add the kale and let it wilt. Remove from heat.When the potatoes are tender, drain them. Add your butter, almond milk and salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher. If they are too dry, add more almond milk a little at a time. When they are creamy, transfer to a bowl and top with the kale mixture.

I do believe these would be a perfect side dish for your holiday meal!What are some of your weaknesses??XoXo,Nicole

So, I realize I'm a few weeks late in posting my Thanksgiving side dish....but I still thought it was worth sharing. The pictures don't do it much justice, but the dish itself was delicious. We spent the holiday with my husband's family in Oklahoma. It was a little different this year, as the past two years we've hosted Thanksgiving at our house. I ended up with the flu for the first part of the trip, so it was nice to only have one dish to make, and to be able to relax the rest of the time. It didn't hurt that it was almost 80 degrees while we were there(;We tried a couple local restaurants, did a little bar hopping (after I felt better) in Tulsa and went antiquing. I found some amazing pieces, and got great ideas that I've used for my holiday decorating this year. I'll save those pictures for a different post. Overall, it was a wonderful trip with my amazing in-laws! Here I am with my beautiful sisters-in-law and fabulous mother-in-law. I'm one lucky lady to have found such a wonderful family to marry into!!

For my side dish this year, I wanted to include some of the fresh veggies we had gotten in my CSA, but knew that not everyone liked brussel sprouts. I am always trying to find new ways to get people to eat their veggies(; From what I was told, the dish was a success!I started with a stalk of brussel sprouts, two oranges and a winter squash (any will do)

If you buy your sprouts from the store, they will most likely already be off of the stalk. Either way, just trim the stems and halve them. Peel and cube your winter squash. Toss both with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, juice your oranges and add the zest from one orange. Add in 1 T of cointreau (an orange flavored liqueur), 1/3 c of pure maple syrup and just a dash of cinnamon. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes. Whisk together to incorporate the flavors. After the veggies have been roasting for 20 mintues, pour half of the orange mixture over the veggies and roast another 10 mintues.When they are done roasting, put in a serving dish and top with the remaining orange sauce. Serve warm.

Speaking of holidays....here's my first deal of the holiday season! If you're new to experimenting with gluten-free baking, or just want some healthier options, let me know. Grab some girlfriends or schedule a solo baking session!

There comes a point in everyone's life when they realize what they were meant to do in life. For some, it comes early on - maybe while in high school. Others may have experiences in college that set the path for what they want out of a career. Then there are people like me. People who change their major 5 times in college and jump around from jobs trying to find their purpose.

I have been fortunate for the last 5 1/2 years to work for an employer that has believed in me and taken chances on me. An organization that, in the midst of a national dilemma, continued to press on - offering only the best for our clients. While the industry I'm in has a long way to go, it's been one that has been good to me and my family.There was a point in my life last year that I realized that I needed more though. At the time, the decision to go back to school was purley personal. The past 9 months of blogging, answering emails and connecting with you was purely to help spread the word about health and nutrition. What a beautiful and eye-opening 9 months it has been! I have realized over these months that the need for what I am learning is much more than I could have ever imagined. The impact I could have, that you could have, can be even greater.I love what I do now, I have amazing clients that I work with in my full-time job. But I recognize that there is more to do, outside of what I do during the day, there are everyday people like you and me that just need a little extra help. Just need a little extra knowledge. Just need a little extra love and attention when it comes to improving their quality of life.After many nights tossing and turning, and lots of prayer and meditation, I've decided to start my own company! MBP (named after the blog you're reading!) Health & Wellness LLC is officially open for business! While I've got an idea in my head (and on paper) of what this company will look like, it really will be an evolution of what you need and what I'm able to provide. This is going to be a roller coaster for sure. I know that what MBP looks like today will be very different as I learn and grow as a person and business owner. I hope you'll join me for the ride!As of now, this will be a part time gig, as I have no intention of making any changes to my current career. I think both "jobs" will compliment each other nicely, and give me a perspective that many health coaches don't have.Thank you a thousand times, for your love and support. I could have never done this without all of you behind me. Be on the lookout for my first holiday deal coming soon!In health,Nicole